Luna Potter And The Missing Flower
by ChocolateSauce18
Summary: Luna Elenora is the squib daughter of Lily and James Potter. They decided to live in the muggle world in order to give her a normal life. When Luna got older, she wanted more than just normal. She wanted adventure. Luckily, Magical Detective Jamie Scamander happened to run into the adventurous young woman. A friendship was born and he decided to bring Luna into the magical world.
1. Prologue

_**The Birth of a Special Child**_

It was the 31st of July 1980 and Lily Potter was giving birth to a baby on a stormy night at St Mungo's Hospital. It was truly the worst of possible weather conditions. There was heavy rain, thunder, lightning and a continued strong gale that blew insistently every few seconds. Lily was sitting in the hospital's birthing chair, her legs outstretched and feet firmly placed on the holders. She was trying her best to push hard but she was getting tired quickly, and pain was overwhelming her. Lily had been in labor for three hours now and she didn't know how long she could continue for. Next to the tired woman was her husband, James Potter. He had been looking forward to this day; he really wanted to see his beautiful little baby in this world. He promised the world at large, silent oath though it was, that he would love this child no matter what. James was currently holding his wife's hand. She was squeezing his hand quite tightly but he didn't mind. Anything for his Lily-flower, he would say. Subtly, he flexed his hand in her iron-clasp grip.

Doctor Fleming was birthing their child. He sat on a stool waiting for the baby to make an appearance. The nurse was standing next to him, with a towel across her arms, waiting for him to pass the baby. Her eyes were sharp and assessing, and she flashed the Potters a brief smile as Lily cried out.

"Just a few more pushes, Mrs Potter! I can see the baby crowning!" exclaimed Doctor Fleming, leaning forward.

"Okay, Doctor" – Lily panted – "I c-can do this," she replied, determined to greet her child. Lily pushed her hardest, teeth clenching and nostrils flaring, her red hair a sweaty veil on the headrest. James squeezed her hand, his crooked glasses glinting in the white lights of the room. Continually, he whispered to his wife – reassurances and encouragement and nonsensical outpourings of nervousness – "There, Lily-flower, nearly there – "

"Just _ooone_ more push," the doctor announced, the nurse at his side peering over, ready to assist.

There was a pregnant pause. And suddenly the room was filled with the sound of a squalling baby.

"Congratulations!'' said the doctor happily. "It's a little girl!"

James immediately kissed Lily, his lips crashing down on hers giddily. They were both smiling; the kiss was awkward and sloppy and oh-so-sincere; they were obviously overjoyed with the new addition to their family.

"Mr Potter, would you like to cut the umbilical cord?"

"Is that even a _question?_ " James did a quick jog to his daughter, taking a moment to just admire the sight of her, then removed his wand and sliced the cord with a simple Cutting spell, more carefully cast than any other spell he'd done.

The doctor's spindly, gloved hands transferred the baby to the nurse and she cleaned the child by hand (as was always best for youngsters), then ran a skilled eye over the newborn in search of any possible problems while simultaneously casting a standard Diagnostic charm. A drop of the little girl's blood was thereafter to be carefully extracted and tested for magical ability, using the ready-made potion. Meanwhile, the doctor did a spell to clear the mess of the birth as well as the umbilical cord. James reluctantly tore his eyes from his child and hurried over to his wife to give her a big kiss.

"We did it, flower," he whispered. "We actually have a baby."

"Our little girl is finally here." Lily lifted her head from its slumped position to watch the nurse with hawk eyes.

James grinned at her knowingly. "She's fine, Lily. Perfect, actually." He grasped his wife's hands, his tan where hers were pale and blotchy from exertion. "We're a family now, my sweet Lily." James rubbed his chin on the top of her head, mussing her hair even more. She laughed and batted at him, her smile wide. His eyes glinted mischievously – "I can't wait to show her my famous pranks!"

As quick as ever, Lily scowled. "Oi! Our daughter is not going to be a prankster," she sniffed. "She'll study hard like her mommy." Anxious eyes again traced the nurse, who was watching the potion for signs of transition while continually casting Diagnostic charms for certainty's sake. Nurse Gale, Lily knew, was the best St Mungo's had to offer. She would ensure her work was triple-checked, and Lily leaned back, calming a little.

"Whatever floats your boat, my Lily-flower." James, ever oblivious, was prattling on, imagining a spitfire of a daughter clearly following in his footsteps.

"I will murder you, James Potter," Lily threatened half-heartedly.

"Nah, you won't," he said, puffing with self-assurance.

"I hate you, Potter."

"You love me."

"I really do."

They kissed like they were teenagers back at school, like no time of passage would ever ravage them.

They were interrupted by Doctor Fleming, who was grinning at their flushed cheeks. "Mrs Potter" – he began – "I am going to levitate you onto the bed now. It will be far more comfortable." He lifted his wand in indication.

Lily's relief was palpable. "Thank you, Doctor Fleming; my legs are killing me. I'm never going to stretch them again," she moaned.

"You didn't complain about stretching in bed …" said James cheekily.

"James!" Lily slapped him on the arm.

The doctor levitated the tired woman to the waiting bed and James was at her side immediately. "Our daughter?" he asked, and beamed, because those words were sweeter than Lily's lips.

Lily was sitting up in bed, eyes lidded heavily. She was tucked in with her arms sticking out. James was softly stroking his wife's hand and prattling quietly into her ear.

Nurse Gale approached, a tight-lipped smile on her face. The pink bundle in her hands gave a cry. "Here you go, Mrs Potter, Mr Potter: your baby girl." The nurse handed the baby to Lily, ensuring the child's head had constant support.

Lily and James could not stop staring at their daughter. She was the most beautiful newborn they had ever seen. Her eyes were closed tightly, her face a terrible pink, her mouth a red straggly line – and she was utterly gorgeous to her parent's wide eyes.

"James, she's beautiful!''

"I know," he said smugly. "My baby girl is stunning, just like her mother."

"Oh, James." Lily gave her husband a playful glare. "Not _everything_ is about me," she joked. Her eyes drew back to her daughter and her arms tightened protectively.

James just chuckled in response and gently stroked his daughter's cheek. After a while of simple admiration, they started discussing possible baby names.

The doctor came over to the bed where the nurse was quietly watching the new parents with soft eyes. He had just finished cleaning up the room ("My birthing room, my mess, my responsibility," he would say), vanishing the birthing chair and the empty vials of Pain Relief potion. He quietly inquired Nurse Gale as to the results of the Diagnostic tests and the magical-ability-discerning-Potion.

"Nurse …" he trailed off. "Would you prefer I told the parents?" the doctor whispered to his colleague.

"You may tell them, Doctor Fleming," Nurse Gale replied with a regal nod. "I promised Doctor Martha that I would help in the clinic tonight,'' the nursed explained.

"Alright, Nurse; I shall see you later then."

"Of course, Doctor." She promptly left after saying goodbye to James and Lily, her shoes click-click-clicking away.

The doctor walked up to the edge of the bed, formally clasping his hands.

"Mrs and Mr Potter, would you like to hear the results tonight or tomorrow morning, after some rest?"

"Tonight would be great. I am too excited to wait for tomorrow," replied James and Lily agreed with her husband, her fingertips resting lightly on her child's cheek.

"Ah, alright." The doctor chuckled softly. "The results of her Diagnostic tests were perfect. Your girl is positively healthy."

Lily and James traded pleased looks. "And is she magical?" the mother questioned.

The doctor looked at them for a moment, his lips pulling to one side, and smiled sadly. "Your daughter is … a squib."

For a moment, there was silence as they absorbed the fact that their little girl would never feel a spark of magic running through her, twisting into a spell as it burst into existence. Then, abruptly, the new parents smiled. It didn't matter. They didn't care that she wasn't magical. James and Lily wanted a child whom they could love and care for. Most importantly, they wanted to _be_ a loving family.

"We love her anyways," replied Lily fiercely.

James readily agreed. "She will always be my little girl. Lily and I will cherish her like the little star she is."

The doctor was very clearly relieved. "I am so glad that she has loving parents like you two. I have been working in this hospital for 12 years and I've never seen such accepting parents."

"My parents taught me to always be accepting towards people." James grinned somewhat cockily. "That's why I fell in love with the most beautiful woman on this planet, despite her initial displeasure with me. I accepted what she couldn't – we're perfect for each other."

Lily snorted softly but her hand found his.

The doctor smiled. "What is the little girl's name, for the record?"

James responded immediately: "Luna Elenora Orion Potter, named after the moon and Lily's mother and Padfoot."

"That is a beautiful name, Mr Potter." The doctor made a note of the name on his breast-pocket notebook, the spelling of which would be checked later.

"Indeed it is, Doctor – my husband has a way with words."

They were interrupted by another nurse who burst into the room, voice urgent. "Doctor Fleming! There's an emergency! A woman is in labor and she's giving birth to quadruplets!"

The doctor's face lit with anticipation. Merlin, he loved his job. "If you will excuse me, Mr and Mrs Potter. I have four babies to deliver."

The two medical staff left at a run.

* * *

It has been three hours since the birth. Lily Potter was sleeping soundly after all her effort. She'd had enough energy to breastfeed and burp her child, but after that she'd dozed off. James was gently holding his little Luna who was awake, though just barely. He looked at his daughter with wonder and examined every feature on her little face. James hoped her eyes would turn from the normal newborn blue to emerald green eyes, just like her mother. She also had small wisps of dark brown hair. James hoped that she wouldn't be cursed with the Potter genes of unruly hair.

"Luna," he whispered. "You have your mother's nose and my ears."

James kissed her forehead. "I will always love you and protect you."

James was interrupted by the room door opening. It was Remus Lupin, one of James's best friends and Luna's soon-to-be-godfather. Remus immediately walked up to James and greeted him.

"Hey Prongs, sorry for coming so late. Got stuck at work." He looked grey and worn but his eyes were bright as he gazed at James's daughter.

"It's alright, mate," James responded. "Would you like to hold little Luna?"

"I promise I won't drop her," the werewolf said sincerely.

"You better not, otherwise I will kick you in the arse," James warned as he handed the baby over. Remus carefully held her in his arms.

"She's gorgeous, James." Remus was fascinated at the sight of her. "She has your ears and … Lily's nose?" the werewolf noted, flicking his sharp gaze to Lily's slumbering form as he compared the two.

"Yes – I just hope she won't have my hair." (James would later find out that he had indeed passed on the gene and Luna would have a hard time getting ready in the morning because she would be too busy brushing her untamable hair.)

"I just wish Sirius was here to see Luna," Remus sighed, gently rocking the little girl.

"Me too, Moony."

"I cannot believe that you can produce such a beautiful child, what with you having such an ugly face." Remus smirked with Marauder grace.

"Hey! At least I'm not Scarface," he cried in mock outrage, pointedly eyeing Remus's scarred face.

Remus raised an eyebrow and rebutted: "At least I'm not _stupid_ like you."

"At least _I_ can fly a broom."

"Arse."

"Bitch Wolf."

The pair giggled like school-children. At that very moment Severus Snape walked through the door. The pair stopped giggling and beckoned him to come over. Severus shook his head slightly at their conspicuousness and then approached. His black robes flared behind him, making it seem like he had a cape. He'd become friends with Remus, James and Sirius in their first year after he had protected them against a spell from a Slytherin, who had cast the hex in the Great Hall at breakfast only to have its effect ruined when its caster's arm was given a simple push by Snape, circumventing the path of the spell. Thus, their friendship was born.

"Hello, Batman," greeted James and Remus simultaneously, Lily's Muggleborn influence clearly at work.

"Very funny, you two," Severus drawled.

"How have you been, Sev? I'm sure the children at Hogwarts must be taking away all your energy," asked James politely.

"I've been good." The Professor tipped his chin down considerately, his eyes lidding as he eyed the newborn, asleep in Lupin's arms and face all but covered by a pink blanket. "I made the best decision by going to Hogwarts … However, there are a few brats that try my patience," the sentence ended with a hiss.

Remus and James chuckled. "Children will be children, Sevvy. I mean … when we were in school, the famous Marauders caused havoc upon almost everyone," James boasted.

Remus nodded sagely. "James was hated by most of the Ravenclaws."

"The Ravenclaw House hated me because of you," responded Severus with a strong grimace. "Living in the Ravenclaw dormitory was hellish – everybody gave me death glares."

"Well, you had us as friends," James said proudly.

"I could've had better." Severus's lips pulled back to reveal his teeth.

"At least I'm not Captain Hook." James eyed Snape's long black hair and high cheekbones.

" _How dare you_ , James Potter!"

"Hey, you have a big nose." James shrugged unrepentantly.

"I'm getting it fixed, alright?" The Ravenclaw's scowl intensified, then released with good humour.

The pair chuckled. Severus again eyed the baby, his curiosity easily controlled.

Yet Remus had always been able to read Severus. "Sevvy, would you like to hold her?"

"Indeed," the Ravenclaw murmured.

Severus held baby Luna as gently as a vial of Explosive draft. He couldn't believe that his best friends had a daughter. He was so proud of James and Lily. He just wished that Sirius could see Luna. He would've spoilt her rotten. He thinks about Sirius sometimes. He can't believe that he's actually gone. Sirius died from a brain tumor; he was diagnosed when was just 18 years old. The doctor had told him that he had a single year to live. There were some things that not even magic could cure. ("At least, not yet," Sirius's doctor had said, her voice low with compassion.) They had all made sure that they spent enough time with him. And then he was gone. It had been a tough time but they got through it. And now they had a new little addition to their Marauder family.

Severus eyed the baby keenly, recognizing familiar features. "Prongs" – he began – "her health?" He was ever the more practical of his friends.

"Wonderful," James replied steadily.

"As to her magic?"

"She's a Squib," the father answered as he straightened his shoulders and warned, "but that doesn't matter. We will always love her."

Remus nodded affirmatively.

"I couldn't agree more," Severus said lowly. No child should suffer for lack of magic … or for its presence.

He knew this better than most.

* * *

Editor: Shadowed Violin


	2. Chapter 1

_Chapter One:_

 _Beautiful Love_

Luna Elenora Potter sat in her favorite coffee shop in Brighton, Pelicano – the best place to get a warm drink on a cold day. She was waiting for her boyfriend, who was currently very late for their lunch date. Luna was a very patient person and didn't mind that he was late. _He was probably stuck at work_ , she thought. His boss was unreasonable and loved to make him work extra hard. Thankfully, she didn't have to deal with the man – she worked with her mom at the local library. It was nice and quiet; however, it got a little boring at times. One could say it was just plain normal. Luna wanted something more than just being a normal librarian. She wanted to be more … she wanted adventure.

Luna wanted to quit her job but didn't have the courage to confront her mother. She didn't want to think about her dreams and passions right now. This was the time for relaxation and spending time with her boyfriend. So to take her mind off things, she decided to simply enjoy the mug of hot chocolate that was currently being cupped by her bare skinny fingers. It gave her warmth and eased the frigidity of her thoughts. She picked up the mug and took a sip of the delicious coco. She paused for a second and closed her eyes as the warm liquid eased down her throat, warming up her abdomen as it slowly descended down into her stomach.

"Now I know why Moony loves chocolate. It's heaven," Luna said to herself as she took another sip of the wonderful hot chocolate. She set her mug down and stared out of a window, framed simply in metal rods painted a comforting green. She watched happily as a little snowflake fell to the ground. For her it was magical. Sometimes she wished she was too, but knew that wouldn't ever come true. Having the ability to appreciate the magic of the world was what she had, and it had to be enough. It _was_ enough.

After ten more minutes of waiting and drinking her warm treat, she suddenly felt cold hands covering her eyes. She knew exactly who it was. It was very obvious who it was. Who else would cover her eyes in a busy coffee shop? The waiter? No. It was the love of her life.

"Is it the waiter?" she teased. The hands that were covering her eyes pulled away and her boyfriend took a seat opposite her at the table.

"No, silly," he reciprocated playfully. "It is I, Neville Longbottom."

Luna giggled, her lips drawing up with affection. "I don't recall Neville having platinum blonde hair and grey eyes and Malfoy mannerisms."

"Clever deduction, Sherlock." He leaned over to give her a gentle peck on the lips, and slowly pulled away.

"How was work, Dray?" she asked, although she already knew the answer to that question. Still, she asked anyway. Draco gave a slight purse of his lips before his expression smoothed out.

"It was tough," he replied, picking his thick jersey of stray snowflakes. "I hate working in that bloody pet shop – all those magical creatures are making me mental."

"I'm sorry Dray. I know it's tough." She smiled sadly at her boyfriend. He worked so hard and got almost nothing in return. This, she knew, was the way of the world.

"It's okay, Lu. I'm thinking of quitting the job, anyway." He brushed her comfort off like a blanket on a warm evening, appreciative nevertheless at her unnecessary sympathy.

"Where will you work, Dray? There aren't many jobs left in Diagon Alley or the Ministry at the moment … " She swallowed the last sip of her hot chocolate, savoring the dregs of it, sweet as they were from sugar accumulating at the bottom. ''Daddy told me that young wizards in England can't find jobs here, so most of them are moving to other countries."

Draco nodded his chin slightly in agreement. "Luckily for me, Headmaster Dumbledore offered me employment at Hogwarts."

"I can just imagine you being a teacher! _Professor Malfoy_ …" She pondered that image for a moment – her Draco in professional instructing robes and teaching little children. She grinned. It was, she decided, a good imagining. And those robes were certainly flattering. "Mr Dumbles made a good choice," she announced, "and I'm positively sure that you'll make an excellent professor."

Draco chuckled. "He offered me the Defense Against the Dark Arts position."

"I don't understand." Luna's brow crinkled. "PJ told me that Professor Umbridge was his DADA teacher. Has she quit already? Why are you replacing her?" she wondered.

Draco explained, eradicating any confusion: "I know I'm not supposed to tell you this, but apparently Umbridge was using Dark Arts artifacts on some of the children – most specifically the blood quill which is _highly_ illegal, as I'm sure you know."

Luna was shocked. Absolutely shocked. She knew full well what the blood quill was. Luna had read all her mother's schoolbooks; some of her dad's books from the Potter library; and she'd gone to the bookshop in Diagon Alley.

"No wonder Dad was so angry last week – although he said he couldn't tell us why." Her fingers clenched with anger around the empty mug. Those poor children …

"The Ministry wanted to keep it hushed," Draco allowed. He paused: "At least, that's the feeling I get."

There was a slight lull in the conversation as the couple pondered the situation.

Luna was very worried about her little brother. He was only in third year. She wondered if he was a victim of the blood quill. She was _definitely_ going to check his hands and wrists when he came home next week.

Draco wondered why Dumbledore would hire somebody like her, but then he realized that the Headmaster was quite old now and his age was probably catching up on him. Not wanting to think more on the rather dark subject, he decided to change the topic. Deviously, he asked: "So, Lu, are you excited for the Weasley lunch tomorrow?"

Luna groaned and covered her face with her hands. "Hell no, Dray – I don't want to see his face."

"Come on, Lu, Ron isn't that bad," Draco said teasingly as he flattened his hands on the table.

"'Not that bad'? Are you mental? Ron Weasley is the most annoying boy on the planet – he always boasts about how he has magic – _unlike me,_ obviously, even though he doesn't outright say that – and how Gryffindor is the best house. Ugh! He always teases me." Luna ran her hand through her raven-colored, admittedly unruly hair (what with all its curls) – it was, apparently, the result of the Potter curse shining strong.

Draco softened. "I'm just teasing, my love. I know you hate him."

"He seriously needs to grow up and learn some manners." She frowned. "My day is ruined just thinking about him."

Draco shook his head slightly. "I know, Drama Queen – he needs to learn manners like a proper gentleman. Perhaps he should spend a day with Father. It will do him some good."

"Dray, I am not a drama queen!" she said indignantly.

He chuckled. "Yes, you are. Never-mind that … to make your day special again, how about we go to a movie tonight?"

"Alright, but let me phone my dad and let him know that I'll be late tonight." She was already reaching for her phone.

Her mother, away on what she called a 'women's week holiday' with a couple of friends, was unavailable, so the only option was calling her father, really. And so she phoned him. The rest of the day went on without a hitch, as the happy couple spent a lovely day together.

– o –

It was around 11 o'clock in the evening when Luna came back home from her perfect day out. She unlocked the door of her parents' house and went in quietly. She looked to her left and saw the light of a table lamp on in the living room. Her father was sleeping on the couch while the television babbled on softly, its screen a gentle glow. Luna chuckled lowly – she knew her dad wouldn't listen to her. She slowly crept to her father and shook him awake carefully.

"Dad," she whispered softly, "I'm home."

" _Huh?_ " He immediately woke up and saw his daughter. For a moment, he didn't recognize who it was, and said: Lily-flower, you're home!''

She leaned a little closer. "Silly – it's me, Luna."

He rubbed his eyes. "You're finally home, then … I was getting worried," he admitted.

"Dad, I told you not to wait for me," she complained half-heartedly.

"I know," he agreed, blinking away some more of his exhaustion, "but you're my baby girl."

"Dad! I'm not a baby, I am 23 years old" she objected.

James chuckled and stood up, and ran a hand through his hair. "Let's go to bed, _my baby girl"_ – he emphasized – "I'm exhausted."

"Tough day at work?" she asked sympathetically.

He nodded his head sagely. "I need to retire from Auror duty – it's getting tougher and tougher."

"You should certainly consider it, Dad. It will be nice to have you home."

"Yeah, it would."

Switching the television off, they went to bed. There were long days ahead, after all.

 **More will be revealed in the next chapter …. Wahahaha.**


	3. Chapter 2

_Chapter Two:_

 _Weasley Lunch of Horrors_

"Ronald-fucking-Weasley is a horse-anus fucktard," uttered Luna as she walked into the Weasley kitchen. She sat down at the circular table that was located not far from the door. Luna was not having a nice day at the annual Weasley Picnic Lunch. Everybody else was having a spectacular day outside. Those _happy_ people were eating, laughing and generally having a good time, but she wasn't and there was a perfectly reasonable explanation as to why not. Luna loved every other red-haired family member - she even considered them as family of her own - but there was one person who boiled her blood and that was Ronald Weasley. He was a horrid boy, who was arrogant and selfish. The worst part about him, she decided, was that he could get away with murder because his mother would always turn a blind eye.

"Ugh … life is unfair." Luna crossed her arms on the table and gently slammed her head onto the rough wood, marred by thousands of breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and no doubt Weasley escapades. She would rather be at home than stay any longer with her own personal hell _(Ronald!)_. She silently wished that the day would go faster; however, wish or no, her day was about to get even worse - her nemesis had arrived in the kitchen.

"Hello, Looney Luna, what are you doing in the kitchen?" The youngest Weasley son had arrived and was already causing trouble. He was very glad that his 'enemy' was sitting there, defenceless: it was time to pick on his target. Ronald puffed out his chest to display his superiority. He needed to show Luna who was the Gryffindor King.

"First of all, I am not 'Looney Luna','' she snapped immediately, "and secondly: what the fuck do you want, Weasel?"

"I just wanted to see how you were, _Luna,"_ he drawled. "Your Dad told us that you went inside because of a headache."

"I'm fine, thanks for asking," Luna replied back with a hint of sarcasm. She knew Ronald was up to something - he never just acted spontaneously nice towards her.

"That is _so_ great to hear," he sarcastically replied. "Looney, don't you just wish you could be a wizard like me?" He smiled so wide that his freckles seemed to blur across his face.

Luna glared. "No, I don't want to be an arrogant bastard like you."

"Ouch, that hurt. You're feisty … I love it." He ran a hand through his wild red hair.

"Piss off - I'm not in the mood for your bullshit."

"Why don't you love me, Looney? I bet you would if you dated me."

"I have a boyfriend, and why would I go out with you anyway?'' Luna uncrossed her arms and spread her hands through the air pointedly.

"I'm the Gryffindor King!" He swelled. "You should bow down to me."

"I bow to _nobody_."

There was a pause. Ronald and Luna glared at each other for a few seconds until the silence broke abruptly.

"So, I heard Malfoy is going to be a teacher at Hogwarts," he said with a sly smirk. He knew what her pressure point was and he was determined to press it.

"And your point is?" Luna was getting slightly frustrated at the idiot in front of her. He was picking on her nerves and she wanted to hit him.

"Well, when you and Malfoy get married one day … At least somebody in the relationship will earn a decent living."

"What is that supposed to mean?'' She bared her teeth.

"You're a muggle librarian, Looney. You won't go very far in life and you won't earn a lot of money."

"You utter cock!" The chair's feet skidded across the floor as she exploded from her chair, hands slapping down on the table, temper lost. "Not only have you insulted me but you insult my mother too! One day, I'll beat your arse so hard, Weasel, and put you in a fucking hospital."

Ronald gave a light shrug. "It's the truth and you know it."

"I hate you." Deep inside of her, she knew he was right. She had a Master's degree in Criminology and yet she was a librarian. Luna knew she could've been a detective for Scotland Yard; however, her mother forbade her from doing so. Too many dangers, apparently. She wanted her to become a social researcher, but Luna wanted to save people and solve murders. Luna had told her parents that if she couldn't do what she wanted, she wouldn't do what they wanted. That led to many arguments until her mother gave her a choice. Become a librarian like her or leave the house and never come back. She chose librarian. At first Luna enjoyed working in the quiet sanctuary but over time, she got bored and really wanted to quit. Luna didn't have the heart or the courage to confront her mother.

"You know it's true, Looney," Ronald singsonged again, plopping the edge of his bum down onto the table casually.

"My dreams and passions have nothing to do with you!"

"Huh … and to think you can't be what you wanted because of _her_."

"Don't you dare speak about my mother!"

" _She_ ruined your life and you know it." Ronald smirked. He'd hit her pressure point and couldn't wait to have some fun with messing her around.

Luna was having none of it, though. "You know what? Fuck you," she spat angrily. "Tell my dad I'm going home."

Luna stomped towards the fireplace in the lounge before Ronald Weasley could say anything. She grabbed the green power from a bowl on the mantle, threw it in, clearly said "Potter residence!" and stepped into the fireplace.

She was transported back to her home without any trouble and proceeded to step out of the fireplace.

"I need a fucking drink," she enunciated clearly.

\- o -

Luna was drinking green tea in the kitchen, trying to calm herself down from the incident. She knew her father would come home immediately to check on her - she knew him too well. Luna was always close to her father, from the time she was little. Her first word was "Dad", even. Luna and her mother … they'd never had a special bond like she had with her father. They always disagreed on almost everything, but it didn't mean that they didn't love each other. Luna loved her mom like any other child and her mom loved her … it was just a very complicated relationship.

"Lu, are you alright?" James stood in front of the kitchen doorway. He was very concerned for his daughter.

"I can't do this anymore, Dad!" Her fingers clenched around the mug in her hands.

"Baby girl, what's wrong?" He took a seat next to her, forehead crinkling with worry.

"Daddy, I don't want to be a librarian anymore… It's time I follow my own dreams and passions. I can't be stuck at a boring job all my life. It's time I changed that."

"Lu, what will you do?"

She lifted her chin. It was now or never."I will become a detective."

"Lu … your mother won't be happy about this." He looked uneasy.

"And what do _you_ think?"

"As much as I would like to agree with you, I have to stand by your mother. It's dangerous, Lu."

She felt her face turn red. "Fine. I see how it is."

"I'm truly sorry, Lu – "

He was cut off mid-sentence by his daughter's command: "Bring her here, Dad." _Now or never,_ she reminded herself.

James sighed but he did what his daughter requested. He _Apparated_ to his wife's location and after a few minutes of explaining, they were in the kitchen. James decided to stay out of the argument that was about to ensue, and slunk away towards the cupboard inside the guest room, where a 1953 red wine was hidden. He knew what would happen if he got involved. It was, he decided, time to settle his nerves with a small glass of liquid courage. The argument between mother and daughter was so loud that he heard it despite the square footage between them. He closed his eyes with a mix of grief and resignation.

"Luna, your father told me what you wanted and I will not allow it!" Lily's voice was shrill with a strange blend of fear, anger, and desperation.

"It's my life and I can do what my heart desires!"

"If you do, you will not return to this house. Do you understand me?" Lily slammed her hands down onto the kitchen table, eyes blazing.

"Why don't you want me to follow my passion?" Luna cried.

"You _know_ why, Luna."

"Mother, that was years ago. It's not my fault Leah decided to get herself killed!"

"How dare you be so insensitive?!" The argument had escalated into words being thrown like plates, back-and-forth, relentlessly.

"It's the truth!" Luna yelled. "She decided to read my Sherlock books and go after a fucking serial killer just because she wanted to be better than me. Leah thought she was cleverer than anyone else and better, too – she thought she could use her magic to take him down and protect herself but she was wrong. Her actions shouldn't destroy my future like they did hers! I want to be a detective. I always have – it's been my passion since I was a child and you can't even support me, not even a little!"

"She was your _sister!_ "

"She was my _adopted s_ ister who hated my guts! She was the one who put dog shit on my birthday cake; she was the one who constantly hit me and insulted me; she was the one blaming me for every terrible thing that she did," Luna was roaring out her confession; words which had simmered within her for most of her life. "She wanted me gone! You all thought that I wanted attention and was jealous of her but it wasn't me that felt that way. It was her." Luna took a deep breath and carried on talking: "It was always her. Mother, you turned a blind eye and always took her side. Now you know why I'm so close to Dad. I tried my best to love you and care for you. I always put your heart and needs first … why can't you do the same?" Luna's mouth twisted. "It was Leah. Always Leah, right, Mother?"

Lily's eyes were strangely dark. "Get out of my house, Luna, and never come back."

"I'm _happy_ to leave and maybe you will be happy knowing that you lost your least favourite daughter." Luna silently walked out of the kitchen, tears threatening to fall down her cheeks. She went to her room to pack her bags and a few personal belongings. She planned to go to Uncle Mooney's house. After a few minutes of packing, she went to the fireplace without uttering a word of goodbye and left. No-one stopped her, too shell-shocked at the horror of events that had transpired.

James stood in the doorway of the kitchen, hand clutching a small empty wine glass. Both parents were silently reflecting on the entire situation. He spoke first. "I can't believe you did that to her." His eyes shone. His only daughter had left without saying goodbye. _I can't believe I let you do that to her._

"Leah was our daughter, too," Lily defended, collapsing into a chair.

"She was," he agreed, "but you are forgetting about our only living daughter."

"Don't you dare accuse me of not caring about Luna. I am _protecting her_."

James shook his head in disgust. "By not caring about how she feels?"

"I don't want her to – to – to _die_ like Leah …"

"I'm going to brutally honest with you, Lily," he said solemnly. "Leah has been dead for years now. You need to move on. Not forget her – never that – but to come to terms with her death. Luna is not like her and she will never put herself in harm's way just to prove a point or gain attention."

Lily stayed silent. James was right but she didn't want to admit it. She loved Leah as if she was her own flesh and blood. She consciously knew that she favorited Leah over Luna. Lily had trouble falling pregnant again, two years after the birth of Luna. She and James had tried for months and it ended up that she had remained barren for years, until PJ. Lily fell into a depression during those three years, and silently blamed Luna for it. She'd eventually decided to adopt a lovely little girl and she loved her with all her heart. Lily was devastated when Leah died. She fell into a severe depression again until her son PJ was born. Her third child, her youngest. He'd filled her gaping heart but the bond between Luna and her could never be patched up.

"I supported you for so many years. I watched you give Leah special treatment but I never said a word … You and Luna argued but I never got involved. For years I stayed silent ... " He violently blinked his eyes and his hands and wine glass trembled. "We made a promise to her when she was born and _you broke it_. I did too. Merlin, I broke it. I watched my little girl leave this house because of your … your … your _cruelty …_ and now it's time for me to leave and I'm going to take PJ with me."

Lily's eyes widened and she stretched out her hand. "I'm sorry, James …"

He looked at her for a few seconds. He simply looked. Where had all the love gone? What had happened to young Lily and James? They were broken now. Everything was broken. Time had ravaged them. How could it not? "Goodbye, Lily Evans."

James left without uttering another word.

James Potter and Lily Evans.

He wished they were young again.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

 _Let the Fun Begin_

Luna Potter couldn't sleep – it was one of those nights when her brain wouldn't stop being hyperactive. It refused to let her sleep … and so there she laid on her back, staring at the ceiling, hoping that sleep would come her way. Luna sighed and turned her head towards the alarm clock on the bedside table.

She rolled her eyes and whispered, "Ah, great. It's 12 o'clock, just a few more hours till I have to wake up." Luna knew that tomorrow was not going to be a good day. Going to work tired was the worst possible thing she could do. Her only cure would be coffee, and lots of it.

She looked over to her boyfriend, Draco Malfoy, who was sleeping peacefully after a long day of school. Teaching children could literally suck the life out of a person. _Little Dementor brats_ , as he liked to call them. She wondered what he would call their future children … Luna smiled and looked at the ceiling again. She reminisced about the last three years and how her life had changed completely.

After the incident with her mother, she had immediately gone to her Uncle Moony's house. He had welcomed her with open arms (of course) and after she had explained what had happened, he had offered her a piece of advice: _Luna, my dear, take back your life._ Luna did just that. She moved in with Draco, got her dream job, improved her relationship with her dad and brother, and lastly adopted a spotted brown and white Border Collie police dog named Lucifer (or just Luci). She was three years old and currently sleeping on the bed with them, much to Draco's dislike.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of her phone ringing. Luna immediately sat up and looked at who was calling.

"Detective Inspector Potter," she answered the phone with utmost professionalism.

"Potter, get your arse down to Brighton Palace Pier," a gruff voice replied. "There's been a murder at Charms and Crystals."

Luna rubbed her eyes. "On my way, sir." She promptly ended the phone call.

"Draco" – she nudged her boyfriend gently – "there's been a murder."

He sleepily responded, "Go get them, Sherlock."

She excitedly climbed out of the bed, waking up Luci in the process. "Come on, Luci; we've got a bad guy to catch."

The three-year-old pup hopped off the bed and ran to the front door of their house, while Luna got dressed and brushed her teeth quickly. Luna then joined Lucifer by the front door. "Let's go, Luci. We've got ourselves a good old fashioned murder …"

Luna and Lucifer happily arrived at the crime scene. Luna walked to the front door of the shop and took a moment to survey the chaos. She walked past shelved knickknacks and then pulled the crime-scene tape up and ducked through. Luci trotted underneath the tape easily. There were police and forensic experts littered across the shop.

She looked around in curiosity. There were "magical" crystals, bracelets and all sorts of trinkets for sale. _Muggles are strange._ It was like a store in Diagon Alley called Magical Trinkets. Luna frowned the more she studied the place – she had a weird feeling about this shop. At first, she'd thought it was just some muggle trying to make a living selling fake magical items, but there was something here that didn't feel right … She was about to study an item when the Head Inspector called her over.

"Potter, come here." He was standing in the doorway of the owner's office. She looked over to Luci "Luci, see what you can find." The dog barked in acknowledgement.

Luna joined her boss in the doorway of the office. "What do we have, sir?"

"The body is Alexa Nightingale," he replied, moving aside to allow Luna into the room. "She is 35 years old. Her parents died when she was a young girl. She doesn't have any other family, either." They finally reached the body. A forensic expert was taking pictures already. Luna looked closely – Alexa was quite a beautiful woman. Such a shame she was murdered, and so young, too.

"She's not married, she has no kids and no friends," her boss continued.

Luna crouched next to the deceased, avoiding the forensic expert. She examined the body, looking for anything that could indicate the cause of death; alas, she found none. She once again frowned. Her gut was screaming at her, insisting that a wizard or a witch killed this woman _. I'm sure of it,_ she thought to herself. The corpse was too perfect.

Luna was just about to ask DI Graves if a toxicology report had been processed yet (highly doubtful), but before she could, his cell rang. She could see her boss visibly turning pale and his eyes widening in shock.

"I'm on my way, Melissa," he said and ended the call. "My wife's in labour, Potter. Can you handle this mess yourself?"

"I'm not a rookie, sir." She rolled her eyes.

DI Graves chuckled, already moving out of the office. "Watch your cheek, Potter."

Luna smiled mischievously. "I hope you have a boy, sir," she called after him, knowing full well that DI Graves wanted a little girl as he already had three boys and certainly didn't want another one.

"I don't have time for your nonsense!" he yelled as he ran out of the shop, hoping to be in time for his wife's birth.

Luna laughed (which was quite inappropriate for a crime-scene, but she didn't care). It was always fun, messing with the Inspector. Before Luna could ask the forensic expert in the room about the toxicology report, Lucifer came running into the room, barking loudly. The pup had found something. Luna stood up, wincing slightly. "Lucifer, what did you find, pup?"

The pup immediately scattered out of the office and Luna chased after her. They eventually ended up in the back of the storeroom, where there was one lone door. Lucifer scratched at the door. There was something in that room.

Luna raised her hand to open the door but was interrupted by a police officer who'd entered the storeroom.

"DI Potter, we have man named Jamie Scamander who claims to be from MI6," the policeman drawled.

"Send him in," Luna ordered. After the police officer had removed himself from the storeroom, Luna looked over at her pup and sighed.

"Luci," she said to her dog while tugging on a piece of her hair, "I wonder why the Ministry is interested in a muggle murder …"


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

A Watson to a Sherlock

Luna waited patiently for Jamie Scamander to arrive at the back of the storeroom. She couldn't help but wonder why the Magical Ministry was interested in a muggle murder. She had a suspicious feeling that it had something to do with the door she was standing in front of. A part of her was leery of opening it. Luci, who was sitting next to her, decided to explore the rest of the shop – she was a curious pup, after all.

After a few moments of waiting, she saw 'Agent' Scamander walking towards her. He was a young man about her age; of average height; and he had short, wavy ginger hair with a fringe to the left and warm blue eyes. Scamander wore a casual black suit with a white dress shirt, and a yellow and black tie. As he approached her vicinity, Jamie introduced himself:

"MI6. Agent Scamander," he said formally, and stuck out his hand. Luna had the impression that he was trying to be cool and mysterious ... she was not impressed.

Luna raised her eyebrow "Cut the act, Scamander – I know you're from the Ministry."

Jamie visibly paled. He didn't expect a muggle detective to know who he was. He immediately initiated protocol IMO (Immediate Muggle Obliviation) and took out his wand from its holster. He began to cast _Obliviate,_ but due to Luna's fast reflexes, he failed, as she ducked and disarmed Jamie by grabbing his wrist and twisting it. He let go of the wand and she kicked it away from his reach. Jamie put up his hand in defeat; he knew from the dangerous glint in her eyes that if he tried to do anything else, she would hurt him.

"Was that really necessary, Scamander?" she asked, and glared at him with her piercing emerald eyes.

"Well, yes," he replied simply, clearly not wanting to give away any more details.

Luna rolled her eyes. "Use your damn head, Scamander. There is a reason why I know about the Wizarding World."

Jamie pondered for a second and looked at Luna carefully … and then the lightbulb went on in his head. He closed his eyes and facepalmed. _Dammit,_ he thought to himself. _I am such an idiot._

"You're Auror Potter's kid, aren't you? I should have known – you have his hair …"

"Bingo. We ha-a-a-ve a winner!" she called, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "So you do mind telling me why the Ministry is so interested a muggle murder?"

"That is classified information, Miss Potter."

"Well, unless you want your wand snapped in half, you'd better start talking."

Jamie glared at Luna. He was not going to let a _squib_ get in the way of his case. "This doesn't concern a squib."

"Excuse me," she snapped angrily. "I am Detective Inspector Potter. You will respect me – do I make myself clear?"

"Respect you? You threatened to snap my wand in half!"

They continued to glare at each other like schoolchildren on the playground. Jamie's patience was running out and he didn't really want to argue. He was just there for a case and some more information.

Luna didn't want to start an argument with Scamander, otherwise all hell would break loose. All she wanted to do was investigate the room and go home to Draco.

"Okay, fine. You have a point. How about we start again and behave like normal adults?" she said diplomatically.

"Agreed, I don't want to start an argument." Jamie picked up his wand from the on the floor and put it back in its holster. He knew that he needed to be honest with Luna, otherwise she would never allow him to simply do his job.

Luna stuck out her hand and reintroduced herself. "Detective Inspector Luna Potter."

Jamie took her hand and shook it. "Magical Detective Jamie Scamander, but you may call me Jamie."

"You may call me Luna, and I can't say it was a pleasure to meet you. Regretfully."

Jamie smirked. "Was that so hard, Luna? Being polite, I mean? It must have been, because I can already see that you're just like your father – stubborn and difficult."

"Yes, it was," she chuckled. "And thank you for the compliment."

Jamie shook his head."You're ridiculous, but since you have adequate knowledge about the magical world, I think it's best if we work together on the case. It will be helpful to have a pair of eyes on the job. I will sort out the paperwork at the Ministry."

"Alright, _partner Jamie_. What the hell is going on?"

Jamie looked at Luna solemnly. "There's a new Dark Lord on the rise."

 **AN:**

 **Thank you Miss Bee for your lovely review!**


	6. Chapter 5

_Chapter Five_

 **The Ministry of Too Many Bloody Secrets**

Luna froze in shock at Jamie's revelation. She wasn't ready for a potential war that could devastate both the Magical and Muggle world. She distinctly remembered when she learned about the Second Wizarding War many years ago. It happened before she was even born – both her parents and uncles had fought for the Light side. The amount of deaths that occurred was shocking … She almost shuddered at the thought of it, but thankfully Dumbledore had eliminated the evil which had plagued the world … Luna was about to reply to Jamie when she saw him covering his mouth. He was giggling. It was at that moment that Luna knew she was going to kill him.

"You bastard! Absolute bastard! How dare you make such a terrible joke?" she exclaimed, and proceeded to backhand him very hard across his chest.

"Ow," he complained while rubbing his chest. "It was a joke, Luna – I just wanted to see how you would react. You know … testing the waters."

"We don't have time for this, Scamander!"

"Oh, come on, I'm just having a bit of fun," he said, while wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Luna rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Let's just open this damn door and see what's behind it."

"Just hold up a second – aren't you going to ask me why I'm here?" he questioned. "I mean … what kind of detective are you?"

Luna glared at him. "Miss Nightingale was a witch – admittedly, I failed to see it when inspecting her body," she snapped. "Obviously, that's why you are here – to investigate her murder, and since you read the report and saw the body, you decided to check the storeroom. That's when you saw me in front of the door. I assume you had some kind of inkling that there was something suspicious behind the door … dare I say _magical?_ "

"Worthy of a Ravenclaw! I knew Squibs could sense magical signatures, but seeing it for my own eyes is absolutely fascinating."

"Open this fucking locked door, Jamie!"

"As you wish, my lady." Jamie scooted Luna aside, took out his wand from the holster, pointed it at the locked door and cast the unlocking spell with perfect pronunciation: " _Alohamora_." The door unlocked with an audible click. He walked forward, Luna trailing behind him. Jamie slowly opened the door and walked into the small, dark room. Luna switched on the one light. It revealed a long – and broken – single display case. They walked closer to further inspect it.

"Hmm." Jamie walked around to look at the broken glass. He noted that somebody broke the glass case from the top, and judging from the pattern and size of the scattered glass shards, he assumed that a hammer was used to break it. If magic was involved, the glass would have been obliterated completely. However, there were spells that could have broken open the case carefully – so the question was: why had they not used a spell? Strange.

Meanwhile, Luna noticed a wooden plaque below and crouched. She began to deduce. "There's a label on the plaque," Luna observed carefully. She slid her finger across it. "It's dusty … hmm … nobody has cleaned this for months … " she muttered to herself.

"What does the label say, Lu?"

Luna decided to ignore the nickname and proceeded to read the plaque. " _Bella-Bane: the Essence of Death."_ She frowned in confusion. "What in the seven blazes of hell is that?" Luna looked towards Jamie and saw that he had visibly paled. "Are you okay, Jamie?"

"Luna, this is bad – very bad." Jamie walked closer to Luna, who stood up from her crouching position. "Bella-Bane is one of the most dangerous hybrid plants ever grown!"

"I've never heard of 'Bella-Bane' … Uncle Severus taught me Herbology when I was younger, right up until 7th year."

Jamie shook his head. "The Ministry didn't want the public to know about it. Thus, only a few high-ranking detective Aurors are aware that it exists. Bella-Bane is a dangerous poison that can only be used as either an airborne poison or for Ancient Rune rituals. Our Unspeakables have been conducting experiments … let's just say the end results were not particularly good."

"I can see why you would want only a few people to know about its existence, but I thought the jobs of the Unspeakable are … you know … _unspeakable?_ " She tugged at her clothing.

"Only high-ranking detectives like myself can read the Unspeakables' reports," he explained.

"Okay, that makes sense. But that doesn't explain why there was Bella-Bane in the shop and why the thief used a traditionally 'Muggle method' to break open the glass case – I mean, there are spells that can break the glass without completely obliterating it."

Jamie was impressed with Luna's detecting skills. "Great observation, Sherlock, but obviously they didn't want to risk killing themselves with the airborne poison. A paranoid person … maybe they were afraid their own magic would interfere with the Bella-Bane – it can be magic-sensitive … "

"There's always something," Luna muttered to herself. "But why did Miss Nightingale have one?"

"There was a wizard named Nico di Angelo, who was literally obsessed with death and causing the deaths of others. Nobody knows where he came from, but most knew that he loved his crazy experiments and inventions. Bella-Bane was his pride and joy. He decided to sell them all over the world, especially to former Death Eaters, who paid a pretty penny – I assume you know about those horrid wizards?"

Luna nodded.

He continued: "The Ministry decided to keep the situation on the down-low so as not to cause any panic in the Wizarding World. They sent out their detectives to find all the plants. One by one, they confiscated and destroyed them … The Ministry kept a few for experimental purposes, of course. And then Unspeakables tracked down Di Angelo and killed him. They couldn't use Aurors – too risky." Jamie sighed. "Unfortunately, they must have missed one … This is dangerous, Luna. If it's in the wrong hands – which it seems to be – the Wizarding World is in mortal danger."

Luna soaked in all the information Jamie had just told her. "We must find who did this. Let's search the room and see if we can find anymore clues."

"The room is bare," he objected, shaking his head. "There's nothing else here."

"I feel there's something else here … It was like when I stood outside the door – I just knew there was something." Frustration made her cheeks tint darker.

He paced a little. Abruptly, he stilled. "Lu, I want you to try something. Close your eyes and try to … feel."

"Are you mental? What can I 'feel'?" she mocked him, but immediately remembered what he had said about Squibs sensing magical signatures.

"Just do it, please," he pleaded.

"Okay." She closed her eyes and tried to follow Jamie's instructions. For some reason, she actually felt like something was tugging her forward to the wall in front of her. She opened her eyes and walked towards it. Luna put her hand on the wall.

"Jamie," she said urgently, "cast a revealing spell here," and so he did. They were quite surprised to see what it was. She stepped back and saw the marking on the wall. "It's an Indian snakeroot plant 'painted' on the wall – certainly not the Dark Mark, I can tell you that." She looked at Jamie for a response, but he was staring at it.

"Earth to Jamie?"

"Luna … that's her symbol …" he looked over at her, clearly worried.

"Whose symbol?"

"There's a criminal mastermind in the Wizarding World – 'Serpentina.'" He paused to look at the image again. "Our Ministry decided to keep her existence behind closed doors to avoid nationwide panic, but there's been a string of criminal activities – murder, robbery, kidnapping. You name it, Serpentina and her supporters have done it. She always marks her crimes like this." He shook his head. "She's narcissistic."

"You better not be joking with me," she warned him, but she secretly hoped he was. She couldn't bear the thought of this criminal mastermind gaining power and eventually taking over the world. She didn't want another Dark Lord or Lady, or another war.

"Not this time, Lu," he said seriously. "I give you my absolutely truthful words."

"So, what now?" she questioned him.

"To the Ministry, Watson!"

"I am fucking Sherlock Holmes!" Luna shoved Jamie aside and walked out the door. "Watson!" she called. "Let's go to your Ministry that has far too many damn secrets." She inwardly vowed to stop Serpentina if it was the last thing she would ever do.


End file.
